Reed Schreck: Super Bowl gets nod for best event covered

You'd think going to the Super Bowl would make the decision easy. I'll go with that as No. 1, but covering the Rockford IceHogs in their Game Seven win in the Colonial Cup championship is 1A.

Reed Schreck

You'd think going to the Super Bowl would make the decision easy. I'll go with that as No. 1, but covering the Rockford IceHogs in their Game Seven win in the Colonial Cup championship is 1A.

Two extreme events -- one on a world-wide stage; the other perhaps the single best sporting event ever held in Rockford.

The Super Bowl was better than I thought it would be -- not the game so much, but everything leading up to it. If your team ever gets to go, go! The fans had fun all week. Miami in the winter, yeah, a nice place to be. Uh, worked my butt off, of course, while I was there.

The buzz walking around the stadium just before kickoff was special. I remember thinking these people paid a ton of money for their tickets, and it sure looks like they're getting their money's worth. They're at the Super Bowl! Then Devin Hester returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown. Wow.

Best memory of the year

When Nicolas Corbeil scored to give the Rockford IceHogs a 3-1 lead with about three minutes left in Game Seven, the MetroCentre was the loudest I’ve heard it -- and I've seen AC/DC there. Fifteen minutes after the game, I was on the ice screaming questions in the faces of the owners, coach Steve Martinson and the players. They'd shout their answers back -- it was that deafening. And that memorable.

You could see how much the championship meant to some of the key people -- owner Dr. Kris Tumilowicz, Martinson, defenseman Nathan Lutz. You understood that that's why you own a team, coach a team or play professional sports.

Saying that, the fans enjoyed it even more. How great was it that thousands of local fans could get so passionate about something right here?

I wish I could have covered ...

The answer is something I've covered more than 20 times -- the state cross country meet.

Watching Winnebago win both state titles -- again -- would have been special. Even with coach Roger Fredrickson gone, Joe and Janet Erb have maintained the tradition if not improved upon it.

You watch for the local competitors, trying to see which individuals are in line for all-state honors (top 25). You hope no one locally places 26th.

The IHSA posts the results about an hour after each race. Not until then do you know who did what team-wise, which just adds to the suspense.

Bold prediction for 2008

Brett Favre will return for another season. Wait, that's not so bold -- I've been predicting that for years (correctly, obviously).

Let's go with the Bears and Packers both making the playoffs -- can't get much bolder than that.

As for the Rockford IceHogs, they'll make the Calder Cup finals in this their first year in the American Hockey League. They're that good, and they basically don't lose at home.

Staff writer Reed Schreck can be reached at 815-987-1381 or rschreck@rrstar.com.

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